Owner Operator Program - Ontario

• The Entrepreneur Stream under the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) allows an entrepreneur and one foreign national business partner to be nominated for permanent residence once their business is established in Ontario.
• The OINP issued a total of 112 invitations to candidates under the entrepreneur stream in 2020.

To apply for the start-up visa program, you must meet specific eligibility requirements. These are listed below:

Mandatory/Minimum Requirements:

• Business experience: Applicants must have at least 24 months of full-time business experience in the last 60 months.
• Net worth: Applicant must have a net worth of $800,000 if the business is within the Greater Toronto Area or a net worth of $400,000 if the business is outside the Greater.
• Personal investment funds and minimum equity: Applicant must have a minimum personal investment of $600,000 and control at least one-third of the equity in the business if the proposed business is within the Greater Toronto Area or a minimum personal investment of $200,000 and control of at least one-third of the equity in the business if the proposed business will be outside the Greater Toronto Area.
• Active involvement: Applicant must be actively involved, on an ongoing basis, in the management of the business.
• Capital investment purpose: The main purpose of the investment must be to make a profit.
• Job creation: Foreign entrepreneurs must create jobs within the first 20 months of establishing or acquiring the business. The job must be filled continuously for at least 10 months, and the median wage must be paid. For businesses that will be located inside the Greater Toronto Area, at least two permanent full-time jobs must be created for Canadian citizens or permanent residents. At least one permanent full-time job is required if
• There are additional requirements for entrepreneurs purchasing an existing business.
  • At least one business visit must be made to Ontario within 12 months of submitting an Expression of Interest. The business to be purchased must have operated for 60 months continuously by the same owner.
  • ownership of the business must be completely transferred to the applicant or any business partner
  • At least 10% of applicants personal investment must be put toward the business in Ontario.
  • Applicants must retain permanent full-time employees that worked in the business before the transfer of ownership.

See the list of ineligible business.

Supportive Requirements:

• The purpose of the business must be to make a profit.
• The business must comply with all relevant federal, provincial or municipal legal, regulatory and licensing requirements.
• The business must be permanent and must maintain a place of business in Ontario at all times.

The OINP Entrepreneur Stream – Self-Declared Scoring Factors and Breakdown of Points. The maximum score is 200 points.

Data Source: OINP Entrepreneur Stream | Ontario.ca

Data Source: 2020 Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program Updates | Ontario.ca

Foreign entrepreneurs looking to start a new business or buy an existing business in Ontario.

The Entrepreneur Stream application is a two-stage process.

Stage 1

The first stage involves submitting an expression of interest (EOI) by email to request a copy of the EOI registration form. The EOI registration form should be completed and submitted by The OINP will then assess and score the business concept; if you meet the minimum stream criteria, you will receive an email with your total EOI score. There is no fee to register an EOI.

The EOI is point-based and comprises two components. The maximum EOI score is 200 points consisting of a Self-Declared Score of 126 points and a Business Concept Score of 74 points. The business concept needs a minimum of 37 points to be placed in the EOI selection pool.

If you receive an invitation to apply, you will be able to submit an online application through the OINP e-Filing Portal. Read the Entrepreneur Stream Application Guide before completing your application. You have 90 calendar days to submit your online application from the date of your invitation to apply. Scan and upload all supporting documents using the document checklist.

The applicant must attend a mandatory in-person interview. Successful applicants will be required to sign a performance agreement. The performance agreement will outline the commitments that must be met to be nominated for permanent residence.

Stage 2

The second stage of the OINP Entrepreneur Stream application Involves applying for a temporary work permit. OINP will issue a letter of confirmation enabling you and your business partner (if applicable) to apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for a temporary work permit.

You must establish your business and arrive in Ontario with your valid temporary work permit within 12 months from the date you received y        our letter of confirmation from the OINP. Applicants must notify  OINP within seven days of arriving.

Once you get to Ontario, You have 20 months from the date of arrival to build your business and meet all commitments under your performance agreement. Finally, you will be required to provide quarterly reports and a final report to OINP between 18 and 20 months after arriving in Ontario.

Applicants whose business met the commitments outlined in the performance agreement will be asked for supporting documentation to confirm all the nomination requirements are met. If your OINP Entrepreneur Stream nomination application is successful, you will receive a Letter of Nomination and an OINP Certificate of Nomination.

With the Letter of Nomination and the OINP Certificate of Nomination, you can apply for permanent residence to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada within six months.

• The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) reached its 2020 nomination allocation. The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program issued a total of 8,050 nominations to successful applicants across all streams in 2020, including 400 additional nominations received through an in-year reallocation and 50 additional NOC skill level C nominations.
• New applications, and applications already submitted to the OINP, will continue to be accepted and considered under the program’s 2021 nomination allocation. Learn more about OINP updates.